"I'm still hungry," Jennifer Lawrence said on the Academy Awards red carpet, "because I still have to fit into my corset."

The "American Hustle" supporting actress nominee, dressed in a red Dior gown, referred to her sartorial selection as a "little baby" she picked out 30 minutes prior to appearing on the carpet.

"I'm hoping I won't have to deal with that again," she said, now referring to her infamous stumble up the stairs last year when she accepted her lead actress Oscar for "Silver Linings Playbook." (Incidentally, the 23-year-old reportedly tripped up again upon arriving on the red carpet Sunday and was called out for it by Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres during the show's opening monologue.)

The payoff, they said, would be celebrating with a "hell of a lot of Danes" who are in town Sunday night.

"Dead arms and beer," the actor said. "That's what we do to celebrate."

The past few months have been a whirlwind for Philomena Lee, the 80-year-old who inspired the eponymous Oscar-nominated film "Philomena" starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. Lee has met the pope and former President Clinton and was honored by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

"Being here is my final excitement," she said. "Going home is going to be a real anti-climax."

People in England -- where she lives -- haven't been as excited about the film as in the States.

"Here they're warm, but in England, they're more reserved. They don't get that excited," Lee said.

If the film takes home best picture, adapted screenplay or original score, Lee said, she has modest plans: "Oh, I'll just have one gin and tonic," she said with a laugh.

3:38 p.m.: On the same day as the Academy Awards, animated feature nominee "Frozen" crossed the $1-billion mark at the global box office. And nobody can accuse Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter of not helping propel the film past the milestone.

During the Disney film's recent singalong release, he and wife Nancy headed to their local theater in Sonoma -- with snacks in tow.

"Not only did we sing, but I brought carrots to throw out like it was the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show,'" Lasseter said.

3:09 p.m.: As activity heated up on the Academy Awards red carpet, Ushio Shinohara talked about Oscar-nominated "Cutie and the Boxer." The 82-year-old star of the documentary says the film has been bringing much-needed attention to his artwork. But the famed boxing painter didn't spend any new earnings on his Academy Awards outfit.

"This is 48 years old," he said, flanked by his wife, Noriko. "My body is the same."

"I got ready in one hour," his wife added. "But I could get the fountain of youth by being here tonight."

2:57 p.m.: The red carpet at the Academy Awards officially opened at 2:30 p.m. PST. Until then, "celebhosts" included Mario Lopez and Maria Menounos posed for the cameras to fill time. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck was also here, throwing mini chocolate Oscars to the fans seated in the bleachers.

Dressed in white chef jackets, Puck and about half a dozen of his staffers were rolling a massive tray of food down the carpet to show off what the celebs would be eating at the Governors Ball post-telecast.

Lobster, chicken pot pie, sushi and caviar are on the menu, but the mini chocolate Oscars look the best -- I even stole one. I have Puck's 8-year-old son, Oliver, to thank for that. Dressed in his own professional jacket, he's showing off the menu. "He is helping with the chicken pot pie," the elder Puck explained, pointing to some yellow spots on his son's outfit. "You can see it on his jacket."

Chris Connelly, the official red carpet emcee, had started to rile up the crowd. Some folks had traveled from the East Coast. One girl got a seat as a 13th birthday gift from her mother. But judging by the screams, most folks won tickets through "People" magazine. Take note for next year, movie fans.

2:15 p.m.: We have arrived on the red carpet, umbrella and rain boots in tow. Late last night, the academy decided to take down the tents protecting the arrival area from rain. That means the carpet is very soggy, and publicists, journalists and photographers are sporting slickers over ball gowns and tuxedos.

2 p.m.: While there's still a drizzle falling from the gray sky, it seems most of the stars set to arrive about 3 p.m. may not end up drenched. However, the trains of the ladies' fancy gowns will likely be in rough shape by the end of the 600-foot-plus carpet.

The 600-foot regal runner not only hosts nominees, celebrities and their handlers on Oscar day but also 289 media outlets from all over the world who are there to cover the glitzy event and jockey for A-list interviews or a shot of an ethereal, hot-off-the-runway dress or two.

The carpet itself begins after the stars exit their limos at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue and travel all the way up the staircase to the Dolby Theatre entrance. And preparations for the internationally watched walk of fame start months in advance.